Coming to Terms
by We'reAllInsomniacs
Summary: Coming to terms between misunderstandings within a broken friendship was harder than Renji thought it would be. And Ichigo never expected a kindred spirit within Orihime's hopeful heart....RenRuki, IchiOri.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: You know, I'm beginning to wonder why we have to put these anyway. It's obvious I don't own the characters, and neither does anyone else but Kubo Tite.

Well anyhow. XD RenjixRukia all the way. ALL. THE. WAY.

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Everyone talks about it. I hear it everywhere. Every single one of them cursed shinigami that walk the halls of Seireitei.

They're always murmuring amongst themselves and then when I come around the corner, they just shut their mouths and give me nervous glances while hurrying past. It's unnerving. I wish someone would just come out with it in my face rather than whispering behind my back. I mean, it's not like I don't know or can't hear them. I _am_ a fukutaichou after all… But that doesn't matter much in this kind of situation, does it? All I need is Rukia's word on it, and that will be that.

"Hinamori, it's obvious that Rukia likes Ichigo. Can't you see? You're blinder than I thought."

"Wah, Shirou-kun, I can still see Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san's old spark though! You have to agree with me that they're cute together—"

"Nah, Abarai lost her a long time ago. And don't call me that."

"Ah! Shirou-kun, shh! Abarai-kun's coming this way!"

Oh, great. Now all of the Gotei 13 is turning against me. Well, at least Hinamori still thinks I have a slight chance.

Raising my hand in greeting, I slapped on my usual grin and said, "Yo, Hinamori; Hitsugaya."

"That's Hitsugaya-_taichou_ to you, Abarai."

"Whatever. So what's up?"

"Oh, we were just talking about –mmphfth! —"

"Ehh—heheheheh, don't listen to him, Abarai-kun! We were just going to the… um… no, to see the sakura trees! See you later!"

And with that, Hinamori dragged Hitsugaya away, still with her firm grip on his mouth to make sure he said nothing stupid.

_I can't even talk to anyone normally anymore._

Sighing, I turned in the other direction and started to walk wherever my feet lead me – I didn't have anything to do the rest of the day anyway; I had finished all my paperwork so far (almost). Although … it was very likely that Kuchiki-taichou would come and decide to add on some more work to my steadily-growing pile. Life just sucks, don't it?

---

It was a long while later when I raised my head to take a look at my surroundings. And much to my surprise, it was an extremely familiar location.

Much too familiar.

But that wasn't the bad part; the reason why I stopped short, standing rooted to the ground with my eyes widened, was because Rukia was there.

Like she was before… ages ago.

It was so ironic that it was the same time of day, the same time of year, the same everything. The same sun glinting off her hair, the same way her eyes sparkled while looking at that flower—that same, white flower. Only this time, it was just her and me. No one else.

This wasn't supposed to happen now! Although you can't put off something that was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

Damn, nothing ever goes my way, does it?

Well, I guess that's the way of the stray dog. You're always roaming the streets alone with no one really to understand you. No one really wants you, either. Because you're just that—a stray dog.

Nothing else.

Geez, it's annoying how my future is so perfectly planned out for me. It's not a pretty future either. All I see is gray, gray, gray, and rainy days—something that I know Ichigo hates. Must mean Rukia will hate it too.

Mataku. Someone save me the agony and kill me right now.

"And why would you say that, Renji?"

Aw, detritus. Did I say that out loud? Well, what can I say? Nothing ever goes my way.

"Uh… I didn't… what?"

"You said, 'Someone save me the agony and kill me right now.' That's not very cheery, is it?"

"I… guess not."

"Any particular reason why you're acting and looking so angsty at the moment?"

"No."

She stared at me hard, and I could feel her eyes boring into my face and scanning my eyes, searching for an answer.

"It's something about Ichigo, isn't it?"

She really does know me all too well.

_Not really. You're a part of it, too. _"Uh… yea, I guess. How'd you know?"

"…Okay, so it's not about him. Spit it out."

"…"

Walking over, Rukia laid a hand on my arm, to which I stiffened at. She tried to catch my eye, and I knew it, so I kept my head down and turned it away from her inquisitive eyes. Those bewitching, innocently-beautiful-but-much-too-wise violet blue eyes were always one of my weaknesses.

I could almost feel Rukia's hard features come together in a frown. What I didn't expect, though, was for her other hand to shoot up and grab my chin, forcing my head to turn in her direction. I practically had no time to resist.

"Renji."

"…"

"Renji."

"…What?"

"Look at me."

"…"

"Say something, then."

"Can I leave now?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, I knew I'd said the wrong thing. It was almost like a replay of that time when I let her go so many years before, except this time, I wouldn't have minded being left alone.

Rukia's expression never changed, and she concealed her emotion very well, but I knew her just as well as she knew me. I saw the hurt deep within her eyes, and I could almost hear Zabimaru crying out as he did during bankai inside my head at my stupidity.

"Fine." Rukia let go of my arm and turned around, walking brusquely back to her sitting position by the river. I felt her slipping away… again.

No, not again, this can't happen again. Not again. I promised myself that if I ever had a second chance I'd make everything right between us. And now I went and blew it. Was I really that much of a coward?

With a sudden burst of newfound inner strength, I marched forward and flumped down beside her by the river bank, landing with a soft 'thump' on the ground.

Rukia looked at me, skeptical but slightly surprised. "I thought you were going."

"I changed my mind."

"I see." She focused her attention on the white flowers she'd gathered around her, feeling the petals and lifting one delicately to her nose, sniffing it, and putting it back down.

She sighed, and wrapped her arms around her legs in front of her, resting her chin upon her knees.

"Why don't you ever talk to me, Renji?"

I really had nothing to say to that.

"I am now, aren't I?"

"You know fully well what I mean."

"You caught me."

"Well, then?"

"It's…complicated. Hard to explain. You know I was never good at explaining things."

"But I still understood you when you did."

She had me backed into a corner now. I had to talk.

"Because."

"Because what, Renji? Because you don't think you're worthy enough to talk to me? Because I'm a noble and you aren't? Because you never treat me the same way you did before? Because you don't see me as a friend anymore? Because—"

"No!"

I was shocked that nearly all the things she was saying were pretty much… true, although I still did see Rukia as a friend. No, more than that. I always wanted to be more than that. Even when we were kids.

"Then what, Renji? Because what?"

"Because… because I didn't think it mattered. I didn't think _I_ mattered. Not after what happened before. I… I thought you moved on, to higher and better places."

"Well, that's where you were wrong."

Rukia's voice was quiet, so quiet that I had to lean in to hear her.

Slightly taken aback, I just sat there, trying to ignore the awkward silence.

"Renji?"

"Yes?"

"Why…Why did you leave me to handle the pressure of becoming a noble alone? Why did it seem like you were trying to get… rid of me?"

"Was that… Was that what it seemed like?"

"It wasn't, then? You weren't…" She paused. "Then why did you congratulate me as if you didn't care how I felt about it?"

"I… I truly meant it for the best. I didn't mean to hurt you or make things so awkward between us. I congratulated you because I really thought it would make your life better and… and I wanted the best for you."

Rukia's eyes widened and she quickly lowered her gaze to the flower in her hand.

"I see."

Wordless, I felt stiff from the tense atmosphere. I can't stand moments like these when neither of you could really communicate nor respond.

After a long while, Rukia spoke up again, without lifting her eyes to look at me.

"Then why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you do anything? I always thought that you had something against me for not being on the same level you were."

"I… couldn't."

"Why not?"

"It was hard to regain your full trust and maintain our friendship after that. I made a mistake and I didn't know how to fix it, and it didn't seem like you ever wanted to talk to me— I thought I lost you for good. Besides… your voice always seemed so distant and sometimes cold, even. And all we said were only polite formalities. I didn't know how I should have approached you."

"I thought that that was the way you wanted it to be; I was only following what you lead me to believe."

"I—I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't fair of me to disregard you like that, without even stopping to think why you did what you did."

We both fell silent then, and gazed down at our laps at a loss of anything to say. We both weren't exactly the type of person to open up to others easily. I guess it would have been different if our friendship hadn't fallen apart.

The situation was sad, really. And we weren't making much progress, no matter how much we were opening up to each other.

"It's getting late, Rukia. We should go."

"Hmm. You go first, then. I want to stay a while longer."

"If you're sure." I stood up and brushed off the dirt from my hakama, and turned to leave, only looking back to gaze at Rukia's dark head and her petite, hunched shoulders. It was pointless. This whole conversation was pointless, because I didn't see any difference in the way we acted... at all.

**

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**Author's comment**: Haha, supposed to be a one-shot, but it turned out to be… really really long, so I had to cut it off somewhere. And I was like, hey, why not a cliffhanger (sort of)? So yea.

Oh, by the way…. this fic is when EVERYTHING (yes, even Aizen) is over. OVER. Ok? 8D


	2. Chapter 2

There really isn't enough RenjixRukia at all. T3T...Well. On with chapter two.

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Just when I was about to shunpo myself out of there, Rukia's voice reached my ears: "Wait."

"What?"

"I said wait."

"…Okay."

"Come back and sit beside me."

"Yes, master." I said mockingly, a grin beginning to tug at the corners of my mouth. Rukia would always stay her same, bossy self no matter what the situation. And so I trudged back to my former position and took my seat beside Rukia again, wondering what had made her call me back.

"Renji."

"Yeah?"

"Don't go yet."

"Uhh… Sure."

A small sigh escaped Rukia's lips, and she dropped her head onto my shoulder, closing her eyes after she did so. It was strange. Strange but relieving, and I welcomed it with the grin that I'd been hiding since before. It reminded me so much of the times we'd shared so long ago…

Rukia's head started to droop downwards, sliding off my shoulder, and then her whole upper body collapsed into my lap. Startled by her limp state, I thought that she might have fainted, but she'd only fallen asleep. She shifted until she was comfortable, then became still once more and the only sounds that I could hear were our breathing. Leaning over and tilting my head, I scanned my eyes over Rukia's tightly drawn face. Her lashes were so long and dark and they glinted in the sun, just like the river shimmering with the last fading notes of the day; tinted with orange and yellow and faintly red hues.

I brushed that one, long bang aside to no avail, and then just gave up and sat back contentedly, stroking Rukia's black hair. It was so soft, almost like silk, and had a slightly violet tinge to it if seen in the right way. Purple was definitely Rukia's colour— the colour of royalty, yet the colour of mourning. Somehow it just fit.

Rukia shifted again, turning her whole body so that her face was directly under mine if I had still been leaning over. Then I couldn't help it.

I kissed her.

It was just an instinctive act. I did it without thinking. I leaned over and gently grazed my lips over hers; I drew back as quickly as I'd leaned forward. It hardly seemed like it even happened.

I wonder what Rukia would say if she knew. She'd probably hit me. Or be disgusted. Or do _something_ unpleasant.

This is all too confusing, and I'm starting to get a headache.

Just as my head was about to burst from overload, I felt Rukia stir in her sleep and slightly grunt in obvious distress. Concerned, I leaned forward again, ready to wake her up if her nightmare –I'm assuming– got serious, when her eyes flung open and she sat up so abruptly that I had no time to dodge her incoming head.

_SMACK_.

"Ho'sh, Rukia! What the—!"

"Awwwwww, Renji, you got in the way!"

We both clutched our heads as we scurried back in sudden pain (tripping over each other in the process), and tears were forming in our eyes. Man, that hurt a lot. We must have lost over a thousand brain cells each. Glaring at the other accusingly, we tried not to cry out in agony and held back the waterworks while trying to soothe the huge bumps forming on our skulls.

"Geez Rukia, your head's as hard as a boulder! Sometimes I wonder if you were MADE from stone – oh, no wait, that can't be right – you're much too fragile for _that_ statement to be true."

"I'll take the first part as a compliment. As for the second, are you implying, by any chance, that I am weak?"

Smirking, I shrugged. "I dunno. Am I?"

Snarling her battle-cry, she leaped straight at me, attacking my hair first. What a cheat. It was so unfair.

We wrestled briefly, Rukia tugging hard at my ponytail (I swear she intended on ripping my whole scalp off) while I growled in even more pain and tried to struggle free of her headlock.

Of course it wasn't that hard. I mean, I _am_ the man and _she's_ the woman. And I am also the one with the hot six-pack. (A/N: LMAO XD)

Grabbing her shoulders, I shoved her off of me, simultaneously prying her fingers out of my hair. Pushing her onto the ground, I held her in that position.

Squirming beneath my arms, Rukia whined, "Renji, it's not fair! You've got to cut me some slack; we both know you're stronger and heavier and taller and everything with an advantage! Now let me go!"

"Not until you ask for forgiveness for assaulting me _and_ ruining my hair. Look what you did! _You ripped my hair tie_."

"Well, who said to leave your hair so vulnerable like that? Besides, it wasn't _my_ idea to grow your hair, it was _yours_. Don't say that you never had the chance to cut it, because that's not a good enough argument. And you made me land on all my flowers. So don't complain."

"Tch."

I noticed then that Rukia had been studying my face, and, still holding her down, I asked, "What's wrong with my face?"

"Nothing."

"Then?"

"Hmm…Renji, you don't look too bad with your hair down. Better, actually. This way we can't see your receding hairline."

Okay, that was clearly going too far. The nerve she has to insult my _hair_! Besides, it's only that way because of my tattoos. And you've _got_ to agree that my tattoos are awesome.

"Haha, Renji, that look was priceless! Where is Ichigo's camera when I need it? Dangnabbit."

Ichigo again. Whatever a camera is.

My thoughts must have been expressed on my face, because Rukia's tone grew serious.

"Renji, why do you keep on worrying about him? No, that's not it… why do you always seem bothered by the mention of Ichigo's name?"

"It doesn't…" Here I hesitated and flicked my eyes over to the trees on the far side of the river bank momentarily, then brought my line of vision back down to the ground beside me. "It doesn't bother me."

"What a lie."

"How do _you_ know when I'm lying or not!"

"Because I've known you since forever. And it's pretty obvious, to tell you the truth. Well, answer the question!"

Why, oh _why_ must she do this to me? She can read me like a book. Literally.

Sighing, I let go of Rukia's arms and crouched off to the side, letting her sit up. Pushing myself backward, I landed on my butt heavily to sit. I quickly ran a hand through my tangled hair before collapsing onto my back with my arms folded beneath my head.

I could feel her intense stare boring holes into my face and knew she expected me to answer. Of course, I _could_ just leave her hanging, but I don't really want to know what would happen to me _then_.

"Do I have to answer?"

"What do _you_ think, Renji? It's your choice, but there will be consequences if you don't. And they won't be pretty, so _spill it_!"

"F-fine! Don't get so worked up about it. You're making me nervous." Opening my eyes, I met her gaze. "Actually, you always make me nervous. What's wrong with _you_?"

Exasperated, Rukia rolled her eyes heavenward and sighed. Gritting her teeth and straining her voice, she said slowly, "Renji, enough about me, and get on with yourself! STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT."

Oh-kay. Time to talk.

…I am so scared right now. She is so going to strangle me, and I will die an unpleasant death.

"_I don't hear your voice, Renji! I give you five seconds. Spill it._" Rukia was now practically seething with annoyance, and closing her eyes as if she were counting, she slammed her hand down beside her for a threatening effect.

It worked.

"ONE!"

"I…I—I…"

"TWO!"

"Ru—Rukia? Um…"

"THREE!"

"It's not really Ichigo that bothers me, okay! It's… It's just…"

"FOUR… 'It's just' what?"

"It's just the way you act around him."

"…Me?"

**

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**Author's Comment**: another cliffy? HAWHAW. Okay, progressing into a serious discussion here…

Sometimes I really do wonder if I am the only one here who loves this pairing. IchigoRukia has become so CANON, I nearly lost hope altogether. T3T...but anyhow.

I won't demand for reviews, but I really would like it if you told me what you thought. And don't be too hard on me because this is my first fic...


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here's chapter three. XD;;  
If you find any grammar or spelling mistakes, please tell me so 8D rofl.

* * *

"Um, yeah. You."

Silence.

"Well, not really _you_, but… No, it _is_ you, but… durghhasdfjkeutghasdfjweioutlapsackt! STOP IT!" I was close to whining now, and because I wanted to get out of talking so _badly_, I had to resort to this.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Glancing up, I saw Rukia's sympathetic eyes. Wait, sympathetic? This wasn't right.

"Renji, go on. I want to know."

Her words were extremely soft-spoken, and it calmed me down a bit. She always had that effect on me.

Sighing (man, I'm sighing a lot today), I sat up and ran my hand a second time through my hair. It snagged at one point, and I flinched while tugging at it to get my fingers free.

Rukia withdrew her hand and patiently sat with her legs folded beneath her and her hands tucked into her lap. Must be a habit from being a noble. She looked at me expectantly again, but this time the annoyance was gone.

Looking at her out of the corner of my eye, I continued on with my forced speech.

"Okay. Well, it goes like this. You see, there's this kid, and he's not that well-off in life. So he goes around with his group of friends stealing food and various materials from the market to make sure him and his pals can survive. Then one day he and his gang meet up with this scrawny girl who showed up out of nowhere and helped him escape from being nearly caught for stealing. The kids all run away to their cozy little shack somewhere in the 78th district of Rukongai called Inuzuri, the South Alley of Flowing Spirits. Then after that the boys accepted the girl into their tight group and they went around and had fun together – around the marketplace, the alleys, and – and here, at this river."

Rukia nodded, and Renji caught a slight flicker of emotion—sadness, longing, affection— in her eyes, and that encouraged him to speak with a bit more confidence – something he really needed right now.

"Well, yeah. They all became the best of friends. Then time passed by and the kids grew up, but only two of them –a boy and the girl– survived while the other three died one after the other. The remaining two stood on that cliff overlooking Rukongai and the far-off Seireitei one last time in the setting sun with their backs to the three graves of their friends, and were determined to become shinigami – something they'd only dreamed of before."

I paused to reminisce briefly on the memories of my three friends, my mouth tightening around the corners.

"Well, the two grown kids attended the shinigami academy and continued to support each other to fend themselves off from the spiteful looks the richer of the shinigami threw their way. The boy knew that he had a fondness for the girl, and he had it for a long time now, from ever since they were kids throughout the time they spent together growing up. He just didn't know how to tell her how he felt, because his pride and personality wouldn't allow it."

Another pause.

"Then when the girl was called suddenly to meet with a certain taichou from one of the main noble families, the boy was surprised and excited that she'd finally be in a better place with a better lifestyle, although he did have the disappointing, sinking feeling that he would never be able to be with her and that things would never be the same again – and he was right… they weren't."

I scratched and bowed my head, my long bangs falling forward to cover my face. I had the urge to look over at Rukia to see what her expression was like, but resisted the temptation and closed my eyes instead.

"After that, they didn't really talk to each other or see each other much. It was something the boy largely regretted, and he probably still will for the rest of his life… Then at some point, the girl had to visit the real world for some hollow business, but she didn't come back as soon as she should have… it worried the boy to great extents, and he waited in anticipation for her return. When she didn't, the boy -who had become a fukutaichou- and his taichou went to see the disruption of plans for themselves and bring the girl back. When the boy learned of what had happened with the girl and a certain human strawberry, he vowed in his heart that he would kill that certain human strawberry for taking away the girl's powers and causing her so much unnecessary trouble."

Taking a breath, I shuddered from the openness of the conversation.

"But when the time came for the boy to fight the human strawberry when the human strawberry came to Seireitei to rescue the girl from her execution for breaking the rules, the boy lost to the human strawberry, much to his surprise. He realized then that he wasn't strong enough to save the girl himself; that he wasn't good enough. That pained him, so he concentrated on boosting his shinigami powers to a much greater extent."

"Yet no one failed to notice the mutual attraction the girl and the human strawberry seemed to have. That pained the boy too and he became jealous, but he let it go, since he knew that he would never be good enough to get another chance with the girl after he lost it so many years ago. But the boy couldn't stop caring for the girl, so he decided to help the human strawberry to save the girl with all the strength that he could find in him – and that he would continue to protect her for the rest of his life. The end."

I couldn't find the courage to lift my head now, so I kept it down with my eyes slightly open, squinting at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. I felt the scowl on my face only get deeper as I thought about all that I'd said. I'd never been so open with anyone before. It felt good to get the load off of my chest, but I'd have felt better if the person my problems were centering around wasn't the one hearing them.

I sensed Rukia shifting closer to me now, and knew she wanted me to look her in the eye. She always wanted people to look her in the eye. It was… freaky, at times. She reached in between my bangs, and gently placed the tips of her fingers under my chin, lifting it up slowly. I still didn't dare look at her but let her brush my bangs aside.

"Look at me, Renji."

I don't want to.

"Please."

Maybe.

"Please, Renji." There was a slight tremor to her voice as she spoke. Curious, I decided to obey.

Slowly, I willed myself to look her in the eye – only to find two single teardrops sliding down Rukia's pale face. Confused, my eyes immediately showed concern.

"What's wrong, Rukia? Was it something I said…?"

"Well, yes, since you were the only one talking. But… but I'm not offended or anything, it's just that… that I didn't know… _why_ didn't you ever _tell_ me, Renji? _Why_?"

"Because I thought I didn't have a chance anymore. You… it's clear you like Ichigo. Perhaps even love him. I don't … it doesn't matter anymore."

"Stop saying that! You _always_ say that you don't matter! Well, you do! To me. You matter to me."

That came as a shock, since I'd kept replaying inside my mind for the longest time that she didn't really care for me after all, but hearing her say that made my heart melt inside as reassurance flowed steadily back to my body.

"…Really?"

"Yes. And what's with the odd expression you're looking at me with? It's beginning to get on my nerves."

"I just didn't expect you to say that."

"Well, I did, didn't I? And who said I loved Ichigo? What's with the assumptions?"

My eyes grew considerably larger, and my jaw slightly dropped as my heart beat loudly within my chest. If she didn't love Ichigo, that meant I still had a chance… Did I?

"Well, everyone just thought…"

"Ehhh, you all thought wrong."

"Oh."

"I do love him as a friend though. It was touching to know that he'd put his own life at risk to try and save me in return for saving his life before. Yet you were doing the same thing, so it doesn't make his actions any more special than yours. Besides, I didn't do anything much for you, did I? And yet you still gave it your all."

I couldn't say anything, so I just sat there and let her talk.

"Ichigo's just an overprotective guy. He'd do anything for his friends if they're in trouble and he'd try his hardest to get them out of it if it means he'd be saving their lives. There ARE different types of love in this world, you know."

Now that I'd thought of it that way, it made so much sense. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

"Besides, I can so see that kid with Orihime. They'd be the cutest thing ever, although nothing beats my Chappy."

Hah. Chappy.

My shocked features relaxed into a genuine smile, and I contentedly leaned back to get comfortable. It was well into the night now, and a full moon was beginning to peek out through the clouds in the starry sky. I swear I could spend the rest of my life just staring at her face. She was beautiful, glowing like an angel in the moonlight…

_Rukia_.

**

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Author's comment**: RENJIxRUKIA FOREVER, MAN. FOREVER. OTP:heart:

Cheesy ending? Lawl. XD

And no, this fic isn't done yet (and neither is RenjixRukia, there's just going to be a little break before I continue with them). OMG I'M ACTUALLY WRITING A LONG FIC? First time ever.


	4. Chapter 4

IchiOri here... This story is mainly centered around Renji, Rukia, Ichigo, and Orihime, and pretty soon Renji and Rukia will pay the carrot tops a visit (has been planning that for a while...) hopefully.

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"Oi, Inoue, get back here. I—INOUE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"Ehhhh, Kurosaki-kun, I'm only saving the injured bird in the middle of the street… It's okay birdie, I've got you now!" Flashing Ichigo an innocent smile, Orihime bent over to pick up the bird gently with her hands, not noticing the fast-approaching car coming up behind her.

"INOUE!"

_SCREEEEEEEEEEEECCHHHH. _

"Ku…rosaki-kun? What happened? What? The bird! Where is Mr. Bird!"

"Inoue, I just saved you from getting hit by a car. And your Mr. Bird was squashed inside your hand. I think it's really dead now."

"Mr. Bird…" Teary eyed, Orihime thrust herself onto the ground and started to sob. "Kurosaki-kun, I'm a murderer! I must bury this bird and find its relatives to go apologize! Please, don't come near me, Kurosaki-kun! I am a killer and must be brought to jail! Take me to jail!"

Ichigo, already tired and stressed from another day of working for Isshin, sweatdropped.

"Inoue, I'm not taking you to jail. The bird would have died anyway from that stupid driver and his speeding car. Come to think of it, I wonder what happened to it…"

Looking back, he found the car taking up the whole street and causing traffic. He wanted to leave before the police came and started to ask what happened, so he hefted Orihime over his shoulder and walked off in the direction of her house.

"Ichigo, put me down! Take me to jail! Punish me! _Something_!" Struggling, she beat Ichigo on the back several times before going limp in his arms.

Surprised, Ichigo glanced at Orihime's mournful face. "You called me Ichigo."

She was at first confused, and then taken aback. "Oh! Ichi—I mean, Kurosaki-kun! I'm—I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to call you by your first name and sound so forward but I just forgot my manners and I'm really sorry and you should punish me double for murdering Mr. Bird _and_ calling you by your first name, and—"

"Inoue."

"Y—Yes?"

"It's fine."

"Oh… all right… You should still punish me! I committed two horrible crimes in one day! No, within one hour! Thirty minutes! Ten minutes! Why am I such a bad person, Ichigo—_THREE_ CRIMES! KUROSAKI-KUN, I'M SO SORRY! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I—"

"Inoue?"

"Yes?"

"You can call me by my first name if you want. We've known each other for a long time, so why not?"

Looking at Inoue's face was like watching a blossoming flower. "Really, Kurosaki-kun? You'll let me?"

"Sure."

Smiling widely, Orihime laughed lightly. "Then you have to call me Orihime!"

Grinning at her childish innocence, he chuckled. "Fine."

------

Humming a tune lightly to herself, Orihime swung her grocery bag back and forth as she trod in the direction of her home. There was a slight breeze that morning, and it softly blew back her bright orange strands to fan out behind her. Because it was such a beautiful day with the bluest of skies and wispy clouds slowly drifting across it, Orihime was very surprised when her head was suddenly jerked backward for no reason.

It turned out that there was a big reason.

"Soooo, Orihime, how ya been lately? Growing your ugly orange locks, I see?" A dark-haired girl drawled, yanking Orihime's hair toward her violently. "It really isn't becoming."

"A…Asagawa-sensei! I—I'm sorry, it's just that, that I really like long hair and I wanted to grow it and my friend Tatsuki helped me—"

"Tatsuki? Don't know her. Oh, wait, that spiky-haired tomboy? Pffft, what can she do?" Asagawa threw back her head and laughed, her two other companions laughing with her. Tightening her death grip on Orihime's hair, she hauled Orihime into a nearby alley. Seizing more of Orihime's long orange strands, she jerked it back and forth vigorously. "Well, she can't do anything to help you now, can she?"

Biting back her protests of pain, Orihime shut her eyes tightly and willed herself not to cry.

"She…She'll come! She'll help me!" Desperately wanting to call on Tsubaki, she resisted the temptation. "I know she will!"

Asagawa slapped Orihime across the cheek, hard. "She doesn't even know where you are. No one does. If you think she's such a good protector, how come you were walking by yourself anyway? Answer that."

Orihime didn't dare open her mouth, so she hung her head.

"I see. I expected no answer from you." With that, Asagawa dragged Orihime upright and pushed her back to slam her against the side of the alley, which was the wall of a nearby bakery.

Crying out in pain, Orihime doubled over and started to cough. Squinting through her bleary vision, she checked inside the bakery window only to find that…

"It's closed, Orihime. There's no one around this early like you. Besides, most of the stores don't open 'til at least another hour later. Brace yourself for some hard beating, Orihime!"

Wincing in pain and frustration, Orihime let loose a blood-curdling scream.

_WHAM._

"You… You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are!" Asagawa glared from her thrown position at the person who attacked her, blood trickling slowly out of her nose and down her forehead.

"Your worst nightmare. Don't ever touch Orihime like that again."

_CRACK._

"Not now,"

_SLAM._

"Not ever."

_SMASH._

"Never again."

By then Asagawa had passed out cold and her two minions grabbed her by the shoulders to run away, scared that they too would end up like her.

"I don't know who you are, but how dare you belittle Asagawa-senpai—!"

The other girl slapped her free hand over the first girl's mouth. Whispering to her, the first girl nodded and they both ran, dragging Asagawa behind them.

Surprised at the sudden turn of events and the beating that never came, Orihime peered through her hands at the wreckage around her. The people were starting to come out now, and she didn't want to be noticed in _this_ state, with the bakery's garbage can tipped over, its contents spilling out everywhere, and droplets of Asagawa's blood all over the ground. Still, she was acutely relieved and thankful that it wasn't her that was the one beat up. To thank her familiar savior she jumped up and plowed herself into their arms.

"Ta…Tatsuki! Thank you so much! I thought I was going to die— EH?"

"All you alright? Inoue."

"Ah…! Um… I'm—I'm fine! I'm…fine…"

Realizing that this was the second time Ichigo had saved her this week, she made a mental note to bake something for him at home before fainting from exhaustion in his arms.

"Inoue? Inoue!" Sighing, Ichigo shifted Orihime in his arms to carry her home—again. He shoved all the garbage inside the can with his foot as best he could, then trudged off to Orihime's house.

---

"Ah…"

Orihime slowly cracked her eyes open a bit to take a look at her surroundings. She was in her room… She felt so tired. Why did she feel so tired? She only went to get her groceries… Right, she got beaten up because of her hair for the first time again in years then Ichigo saved her.

OH! Her groceries!

"OH NO!" Orihime sat straight up in her bed, eyes fully open with her hair flying everywhere—right into Ichigo's face.

"DUAAUHH!"

"Owiee! AH, ICHIGO, I'M SO SORRY! I'M SORRY AGAIN FOR MY HARD HEAD!"

Ichigo could only remember all too well the last time he hit his head against Orihime's. That was after his battle with Byakuya, and man, he felt like his skull had cracked.

_Actually, it probably did somewhere,_ Ichigo thought wearily as he held his head with one hand and repeatedly assured Orihime that he was fine with the other.

Ichigo had been sitting in a chair that he had drawn up beside Orihime's bed to wait until she woke up from her unconscious sleep. Orihime had stirred, so he was leaning over to shake her awake when her face had slammed into his.

_I should learn to watch out for those accident-attacks_, Ichigo thought while rubbing the bridge of his nose. _Otherwise I could actually get hurt._

"Inoue… Is there something bothering you?"

"My groceries…" Orihime's words trailed off as she sighed dejectedly. "I'll just have to go buy them again. Oh, but what a waste of money!"

Ichigo chuckled. "I'll go with you."

Orihime immediately brightened. "Really?"

"Sure, why not? It's not like I have anything else to do."

"Okay, then, let's go!"

Smiling enthusiastically, she jumped out of bed and pulled Ichigo up on his feet, dragging him out the front door and leading the way to the supermarket.

---

"How about this one, Ichigo? Or this one? Or this one? Or that one? I can't decide which one to buy."

Orihime was her usual, blubbery, non-decisive self. She couldn't choose which type of meat to purchase, so she had taken to grabbing any random pack and shoving it into Ichigo's face for inspection and approval.

"Um… Why not the one you think looks best? I'm bad at this stuff," Scratching his head, Ichigo laughed nervously. "Which one did you choose before?"

"Oh… Well, this one, but," Orihime stilled her frantic actions and picked up the package that she'd chosen when she came on her own. "With you here, I feel like I should buy something that you like. I don't know."

Ichigo sweatdropped. "Um, Orihime, just… get that one."

"Okay!" Cheered up that a decision was finally made, she dropped it into her plastic basket and continued on with the next item on her list.

"Hmm, let's see… Cheese!"

It was indeed a bright, sunny day.

**

* * *

Author's comment: **Lol, I think they're cute together. Don't kill me now. X)

Next chapter will continue with RenjixRukia XDXD And other stuff.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

SORRY SORRY SORRY TxT;;; I lacked internet for the past like…. Three weeks because at first my internet just wouldn't work and then my dad changed companies from Rogers to Primus, and since Primus is a smaller company they took much longer to set up everything and I didn't get the net back 'til now because he changed back to Rogers ;;

And before that I just didn't… feel like writing. Haha… owo;;; I apologize.

This wasn't exactly my favourite chapter, so please don't kill me if it SUCKS. And here I change back into third person writing. I got lazy and didn't want to write in Renji's POV anymore, so… ahahahahahaa? XD LOL.

* * *

"Oi, Renji! Come over here."

"Ikkaku? What do you need me for?" Renji looked over while squinting in the sunlight, lazily adjusting the visor on his forehead. He walked over with a bored expression on his face.

Grinning, Ikkaku pulled Renji over by the hem of Renji's sleeve. "We need some help with our captain. Y'see, he's been really bored lately and Yumichika and I made fun of him—"

"Ikkaku, are you frickin' STUPID? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

"No, no! Well, it's only our nature… I mean, what's the point of keeping ourselves in higher ranked seats if we can't make fun of him? Anyway. We were wondering if you could, you know, bring Ichigo over from the real world—"

"To fight with him? You know he'd never agree; once was enough. Ichigo is _scared_ of him, just like anyone else would be! What kind of a question is that?"

Unfazed, Ikkaku just started to beg on his knees.

"Pleeeeeaaasee, Renji buddy, we know you and Ichigo are close; he'd trust you if you'd made up a lie and brought him here, right? Ichigo is the only one that can take taichou on and make him satisfied. He's ripping up a storm right now and beating up all the members of the eleventh squad again…"

"It's called 'mutual respect', Ikkaku, not 'close'. Ever heard of that? And no can do. I'm not up to it, and he won't trust me on matters like this easily, being the suspicious person he is. Just leave the kid alone for once, geez. If you want him to come so badly, go get him yourself."

"When did you become so paternal? Practicing for a future family?" Snickering, Ikkaku covered his mouth with his hand, trying to muffle his laughs. Renji, turning a shade close to the colour of his hair, punched Ikkaku's head hard enough to slam him into the ground.

"AHA-HAH-AHA, Renji, I'm imagining it right now! Haha-haha-haha-haha-aHAHHHHAHAHAHA!!!"

Renji kicked Ikkaku's stomach a few times for good measure (he was still laughing like a hyena while beating the ground and tearing up like he often does) before he walked away.

_It was only to give Ichigo a break_, he thought, fuming. _I guess we are pretty close. And who cares if I were a fatherly person? I mean, it _would_ be a bit out of character but so what? Who says I can't make a good dad? Tch. Bald dumbass._

Besides, Renji knew that Ichigo wouldn't come. Not for a stupid reason like calming down the eleventh squad's captain. _Especially_ because it was Kenpachi-taichou. Nobody in their right mind would offer to do that, unless they were in his way. Then they basically had no choice, but it would be their fault for being in his way in the first place.

Behind him, Renji heard a loud crash and frantic yells following soon after. Turning his head, Renji's eye twitched at the familiar scene.

"OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW, YACHIRU, GET THE HELL OFF MY HEAD! OW-OW-OW—" Ikkaku was screaming bloody murder while Yachiru was trying to eat him – or at least chew his head off – again. It was disturbingly funny.

Suddenly overcome by a gale of hysterical laughter, Renji clutched his aching middle while laughing his heart out at the sight of teeth marks in Ikkaku's head (Ikkaku had just managed to pry Yachiru off of himself).

"WHO'S THE LOSER _NOW_, IKKAKU? YOU STUPID ASS, YOU TOTALLY DESERVED THAT!"

"OI, RENJI, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE! WHAT IS THE POINT OF OUR COMRADESHIP IF YOU'RE NEVER ON MY SIDE?"

As the last of his laughs subsided, Renji shook his head while grinning at his colleague.

"Don't worry pal, you'll live," Renji then swiftly pirouetted around and skipped off to his office, giving a prompt wave before he disappeared out of sight.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, YOU—YOU I-DON'T-HELP-MY-FRIENDS-AT-ALL BASTARD!"

"If I'm a bastard then you're one too, Ikkaku! At least I have hair!" Renji's faraway voice drifted over to Ikkaku's ears, small as it may have sounded. Ikkaku immediately threw Yachiru to the ground in fury, who he had been holding at arm's length, and screamed, "I'LL MAKE _SURE_ I GET YOU FOR THIS!!"

A greatly increasing reiatsu caused Ikkaku to stop his hollering and shaking of his fist. Slowly, he turned his head to look cautiously down at his glowing vice-captain.

"_BALDY_…"

"Fu…Fukutaichou! _Ahahahahahaa_…… I'll be leaving now."

"Baldy, come back here! I haven't chewed your head off yet!"

"_No thanks!!_"

---

Renji sighed and leaned his chin against the palm of his hand, staring out the window at the scattered sakura blossoms fluttering past. It reminded him of Rukia – strangely, everything as of late reminded him of Rukia – and slumped over face-forward, knocking a pile of his papers to the floor. Muttering a quiet curse, he pushed back his chair and picked them up.

Irritated, he slapped them back onto his desk and glared at all of his remaining paperwork.

"What the _hell!_ I want a freaking _DAY OFF!_"

"No need to yell. I can hear you from down the hallway."

"Ku—Kuchicki taichou!"

"You're in luck, Renji. I'm giving you a day off from paperwork tomorrow to go with Rukia on her mission to the real world. I figured since you were good friend and all, you'd keep her good company. Until then, I'd like you to finish your leftover work; otherwise I won't allow you days off at all." With a swish of his captain robes, he left without his poker expression ever changing once.

"R-Right… Understood." _Although… going somewhere with Rukia isn't really having a day off at all…_

Renji reluctantly flopped back down into his chair and continued to work through the rest of the afternoon.

_It's morning…_

Renji could feel the brightness of morning through his closed eyelids. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and sleepily blinking them to get rid of his bleary vision, then—

"Oiiiii! Renji! It's morning; get up, get up! Hey sleepyhead, what's keeping you?"

Covering his face to block out the blaze of the sun, Renji retreated backward so quickly he fell off his bed and flipped onto his back on the floor, dragging his sheets with him as he went down.

"RUKIA!!? Why are you _here_—It's early—I'm not properly dressed—I'm going _blind_—_CLOSE THE CURTAINS, RUKIAAAA!!!_"

Wrapping his sheets around his body while trying – and not succeeding – to hold back the rapid blush creeping over his face, he padded to his window and violently shut the curtains closed. Turning to Rukia, who was glowering at him expectantly with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face, he towered over her.

"Who said you could come in here so early in the morning, _huh_?! And why are you in that fancy dress Ishida made for you? Where're your shinigami robes?"

"Renji, it is our mission to go to the real world, and we have to leave; now! Have you forgotten already?"

Renji gave her a blank stare; it was too early to think on his part.

"...Well anyway, get dressed!" Grabbing the edge of his blanket, she yanked it so hard that Renji spun out of it at an incredibly fast rate and toppled to the floor – again – and slammed into his dresser. Flapping out Renji's sheets over his bed, she tidied it up and fluffed his pillows in two seconds flat. Rukia stood above Renji and gave him a withering glare.

"_Get dressed._"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

---

"I cannot believe you forgot Nii-sama's orders."

"I swear, it's just hard for me to think in the morning! There is_ nothing wrong _with my memory."

"Yes, there is."

"No there isn't!"

"Yes there is!"

"No there isn't!"

"There _is!_"

"There _isn't—_"

"Ah-ah, we're here!"

Standing in front of the gate that connected Soul Society with the real world, they waited for the doors to fully open before going through.

---

"Hey, did you bring food?"

"Damn, I forgot."

"You're supposed to bring food! I'm so hungry I could _eat_ you! You know, Rukia, it's bad for me to miss my breakfasts…"

"Don't look at me like that, Renji. It's disturbing—DON'T YOU DARE!!"

* * *

**Author's Comment**: Can you imagine? This is called: 'All of Ray-chan's juices coming together in a bunched muddle of random nothings within a story.' This was ALL _supposed_ to be a one-shot… I swear. Then all the stuff I've fantasized so far in my head just kept on pouring out and I really couldn't stop them. XD

sigh…… I'm still somewhat amazed that I'm actually continuing this. OO;;;

Oh, by the way. I absolutely have no idea (particularly because I forgot completely) about the gates that connect both worlds… was it a gate? Well, when Byakuya and Renji went back with Rukia the first time it was a gate… when Soi Fong ran through to the real world before it closed in the filler eps, it was also a gate… so I'm just… assuming XD;;


End file.
